Here is a good video from our buddy Dale Pekel. Dale has a series of great training videos. In this video, he shows some basics about size up and reading smoke.
We have to do more of this, and like Dale says, be proactive. Train hard and we’ll see you on the “big one.”
I am a big fan of companies getting out and scoping out their response area. Just when you think you have seen it all, something catches your eye that you missed the other 100 times you passed it by. We all know what I am talking about.
Look at the picture above. As a fire service leader, what do you see? What have you learned from your years of experience and training about these types of buildings?
What is of significance?
What is of significance that you see right away but the new guy might not have a clue about?
As an officer that will be making the initial decisions on this building you have a great responsibility to know as much about this structure as you can. It will certainly help you to make the best possible decision about your tactics.
Take the time to sit with your crews and look at the features of this building. What type of construction is it? What type of occupancy is it? Why are both so important? It just might mean the difference of saving the occupants and yourself.
Stay safe and be careful.
Residential or commercial?
Even in this downturn in the economy, there are still very large homes being built. In many cases these homes are over 5,000 square feet of total living area.
This creates a significant problem for many fire departments, especially smaller, more rural ones, in regards to tactics.
We are fighting these fires with traditional methods and resources. In many cases it just isn’t enough. Add to the those issues that these are all built using light-weight construction, we have a recipe for disaster, as we have seen across our country.
Firefighters are falling through floors immediately after entering. Roofs are collapsing much earlier than before. Contents are causing fires to burn faster and reach untenable temperatures much earlier in the fire. The larger area requires the firefighters to search longer and further into a building than in the past.
We need to look at these structures a little differently when confronted with a working fire in them. Here are some considerations that should not be overlooked on these fires:
1. Your going to need more water, get it rolling fast.
2. A 360 is a must. You don’t know what you might have on the back side. 4 stories, victims hanging out windows, location of the fire, etc.
3. A larger line. It may be very prudent to pull a 2 1/2 as your first line of attack.
4. More manpower may be needed due to the multiple functions needed because of the size. You may treat this alarm like a commercial alarm.
5. Search lines. In these very large homes, it is not out of the question to use a search line.
These are the primary items that you can’t discount. You may need to think differently on these larger home fires to have a positive outcome. I have seen departments burn these houses down because they were using tactics for an 1100 square foot building on a 5500 square foot house.
With the open floor plans and the light weight building materials, fire develops very fast in these homes. Anticipate that and plan for it. Adjust and have back up plans. Never be afraid to regroup to get it right.
Feel free to add to the concerns, I encourage you to contribute. After all, that is what makes this so much fun.
Stay safe and stay low. Don’t forget to hydrate all day in this heat. Carry around some water and sip on it all day.
Three days of ball busting training evolutions on acquired structures!
If you missed FDIC, you have to make this training event.
I have had the opportunity to spend some time with Nate and Kevin and they are the real deal.
The training is real and practical. It is stuff you will use in real life, on real calls.
You just can’t afford to miss this. The price is right and the location is in the middle of the country. I just can’t say enough about the classes and teaching style of the Brotherhood Instructors.
Even if you can only make one day, it is worth the travel. But, beware, you will be whooped by the end of the weekend.
Get to the Brotherhood Instructors Facebook page and look at their videos, blogging and pictures for an idea of what they do.
See you soon and train hard with The Brotherhood!
This is an incident that could turn out to be very interesting.
This is going to address the use of back up lines and when they are deployed.
I had an interesting conversation about assignments, as you could tell from the previous post.
This discussion circled around the deployment of the second apparatus on the scene. This is not a metro response where engines do engine work and so on. Rather, this is where the second in unit is assigned upon arrival.
With this picture in mind, what does your second in unit do? Does it backup the first in crew with a hand line? Does it perform ventilation? Just where do you order this second in crew and what are the tactical priorities?
I believe that there is a time and situation for using the second in unit for a back up line, but not automatically just because they are the second unit there.
What do you think and why? You gave some great insight into run procedures, so I know there will be some great conversation on this one.
Stay low and be safe.
Since posting the video on PPV, I have been sent links to many other videos on PPV, ventilation and flashover. Some were good and some not so good. This one I thought was a good video to sit down and take a look at with your crew.
There are some things that can be learned from this video. We weren’t there from the onset, but valuable information can be taken away from this video.
If you have links for videos or your own that you think would be beneficial, pass them on to us and we will take a look and post them if appropriate.
Take care, stay safe and stay low.
This is a video I found on The Bravest Online. This website has some great content and very current fire related videos that can be used for information and training ideas.
This video is from the Salt Lake City area and shows what can happen when you have hidden fire and use a positive pressure fan with crews inside the building.
Find more videos like this on firevideo.net
There are many thoughts on this tactic and you should follow your local SOP or guideline.
How many of you do VES?
How many of you and your organizations routinely perform Vent, Enter and Search Operations?
When discussing this tactic in some circles there is great debate. In fact, I have heard outright intolerance for VES.
It boils down to training and experience. Believe it or not, I have had firefighters actually have to ask what the acronym meant. Obviously, they don’t perform it.
It certainly has it’s place and is something that can be incorporated into the Outside Vent position. Especially in jurisdictions that don’t have dedicated Engines and Trucks, this position is even more critical. In these areas, one fire you may be performing engine company operations while the same day at a different fire you may be the truck company based on the order of your arrival.
I am curious what your policies are and what your training is for this position?
How does your department run in terms of companies and assignments?
Share what you do and how you operate so that we can all learn new ideas and methods to keep us safe.
Take care and train hard and smart.
Do you see anything different here?
I was out of town most of this past week for class and noticed this building on the first morning I drove in.
The first morning they had only installed the wall to the “r” in Performing. The second day I realized that I needed to snap a picture of this to share.
This false wall is about four stories tall and covers the entire length of the building.
What challenges do you see?
As you can see, this wall definately would challenge any rescue efforts were there victims in the windows.
Not only will it hamper rescue efforts, performing ventilation or suppression from this side of the building would be challenging at best.
The frame of the false wall is set off of the building wall at a distance of approximately two feet. That is just a guess, but operating ground ladders here is almost impossible.
Interior crews would need to know that this side is limited access and egress because of the wall. It will certainly challenge our strategies and tactics should an incident happen here.
This is one good example of why you need to get out and see your area. Know what’s going on and get involved. As a crew you can preplan this building by just parking out front, take a picture or two and go back and have a discussion about how you would operate at this building.
Stay safe and be careful.
What would you do at this point?
There is a lot already taking place here. A hose crew is at the door or inside. A guy is taking out a window or something to that effect on the D side. And someone is on a ladder.
There is some nasty smoke pushing out of this structure. It definitely is under pressure.
Time is running out for keeping this in check and an interior attack. We’ve all been here and we know how this can go.
At this point in the fire, what ventilation tactic would you use and why?
If you need to, redirect these crews and put them where you think they will make the most progress and explain your actions.
Share with your crew and post your discussion points. We always get great feedback and we know you have some goo ideas, so, let’s hear them.
Stay safe and be careful. Get yourself healthy and stay healthy.
Multiple exposure fire.
This is a great scenario for us to look at. It has a great deal that needs to be addressed.
Now, I understand that not every jurisdiction has this type of occupancy, but let’s use our imaginations.
We can gather a pretty good deal of information just from the picture.
Now, let’s go to work. I’m not going to ask specific questions of what you would do, you all have a pretty good idea of what we are looking for. List your tactical considerations and how your going to use your crews.
Since it is Sunday, I am going to give you all the resources you need.
Get started and share you knowledge.
Stay safe and train hard.
This building looks to be a very large residential home, or more likely a mutli-family dwelling.
It appears that the majority of fire is on the second floor.
It is night time and the chance that it is occupied is good.
This could be a good time to use interior crews to start an aggressive search with a hose line since we really can’t see any fire.
At the same time, we can have some outside vent guys laddering these windows and performing vent, enter, search tactics since the building appears to be large.
Now, this is somewhat controversial in some parts, like mine, but I think it is an effective tactic. The key here is to have adequately trained personnel who have experience and can make good decisions in the risk vs. benefit area.
Additionally, there needs to be coordination with the interior crew. And, hey, if you have enough on scene to send in an attack line and a search crew, good for you. That just isn’t always the case.
Just remember, if you are performing VES, know where you are, have a tool. You may only be able to sweep the room with a tool because of heat. If you do get in a room, your first bit of business is to shut the door to the adjoining spaces. Oh, make sure you have got a radio.
What do you think out there? Any other ideas? Let us know and share your knowledge.
As always, thanks for stopping by train everyday.
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